


If You Thought the Head Trauma Was Bad...

by Kira_Dattei



Series: The Old Guard Whumptober 2020 [27]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Comfort, Developing Friendships, Headaches & Migraines, Immortal Found Family, Immortal Husbands Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, M/M, Post-Canon, Protective Andy | Andromache of Scythia, Protective Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:15:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27717338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kira_Dattei/pseuds/Kira_Dattei
Summary: Immortality and accelerated healing don’t come without its complications and pains to endure.Prompt: Migraine
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia & Nile Freeman & Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani & Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Series: The Old Guard Whumptober 2020 [27]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1994617
Comments: 6
Kudos: 146





	If You Thought the Head Trauma Was Bad...

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not a whump writer so I can't promise a huge amount of whump in all of these. I just picked the prompt from each day that actually sparked an idea and ran with it.  
> I'm mostly using these as a way to get a feel for the characters and I simply love the relationships given in canon and wanted to explore them.  
> Joe is the lucky whumpee for most of these because I just love him.
> 
> These are all going to be one-shots and they are as connected as you want them to be so you’re good to just read one and not worry about missing anything.
> 
> As can be attested by my favorite Mass Effect character being Kaidan (for those who know the fandom ^_^) I'm a sucker for chronic pain. And I'm a sucker for limitations and consequences to special abilities. So those come together here. Hope you enjoy.

Joe winced as the car beside them honked its horn, the sound echoing through his head and seeming much louder than it actually was.

They were almost back to the safe house and once he was there he could curl up somewhere and use his reputation for loving naps to his advantage to maybe shirk this damn migraine.

He’d pushed his body too hard in a variety of ways and he was paying for it now.

Their healing and the refusal of their bodies to stay dead did come with rules for it working most efficiently. They still required sustenance and while they would continue to revive even if the reason they’d died had been starvation or dehydration, it was significantly slower. And every time they healed it took some of the sustenance available in their bodies.

Besides the constant possibility of their immortality passing, it was actually a waste of energy to be careless and was one of the reasons they did actually try not to get hurt or killed. And if they knew what they were involved in was going to be a long haul, the more strength that went to healing was strength they didn’t have to keep going. Swinging a sword or a fist still took strength and they couldn’t waste all they had on coming back to life or healing from them making mistakes in combat that got them injured.

They’d happened upon a couple of burning buildings a few days ago, the buildings so close that one had set the surrounding ones on fire, it being old apartment buildings full of people barely scraping by as it was. Joe, Nicky, and Nile had rushed in, Andy irritated at needing to remain outside since at the very least her lungs wouldn’t have held out for long. But she’d kept an eye out for when the emergency services arrived so she could keep them from going back in and getting caught doing so much without any gear.

But that had been the start of Joe pushing himself too far. Not only had his body needed to heal constantly against the smoke inhalation but he lost count of how many burns he’d gotten while helping people out. And the smell of burning bodies was one he had a low tolerance of and he’d lost his appetite for the next few days.

They’d had a mission the next day and he’d died eleven times and had gotten shot all to hell without dying three times, the guys they’d been targeting had been well-armed and he’d been covering Andy while Nicky and Nile had moved to flank their attackers.

His head was already hurting and he knew it would only get worse until he ate, drank, and got some sleep.

When things had gone quiet before they regrouped, Joe had requested of Andy, “Think you can downplay how much I got my ass kicked this time around?”

Andy had slung her labrys onto her back with a scoff. “You’re joking, right? First rule of mortality: don’t piss off Nicolo di Genova. Pretending that all that blood you’re sporting came from one death would piss him off. And simultaneously insult him so double fuck no.”

“Couldn’t you just once pretend you don’t know him so well?”

“Hell no. It took me too long to really figure him out and I’m not giving that up for anything. You can deal with him hovering over you for the next two days.”

Nicky’s expression when he saw Joe had been concerned until he confirmed that Joe was still immortal and then he was frustrated.

“You are better at holding a defensive position over Andy than this,” Nicky scolded in that way he did that made Joe feel like he’d accomplished making the biggest fuck up in the world.

Joe’s response was less patient that he normally was with anyone, especially Nicky, but he was already feeling the strain and first hints of discomfort in his head. “And, immortal or not, I am also human and perfectly capable of having an off day. What matters is that it didn’t end up getting Andy hurt. That is a mistake I can’t afford.”

Nicky couldn’t argue with that and Joe had known that before he said it. Eventually, Nicky stepped in close and pressed a kiss to Joe’s lips. “You know when you are not at your best. Next time consider telling me and I will take defense over Andy. And Nile’s training is progressing remarkably. It won’t be long until she will be able to take that position as well. We are here, Yusuf. Rely on us.”

Joe’s ire faded at once and he gave his love a smile and leaned in to give a kiss of his own and pulled away as Andy called to them, letting them know it was time to move on.

The drive back to the safe house had been nothing but a steady increase in Joe’s headache, building to a powerful migraine before they were even halfway there. The sun shining hadn’t helped either and Joe had kept an ongoing internal line of insults at the fact that they’d done this in early afternoon instead of in the middle of the night.

No, headlights would have been worse to deal with, he decided quickly.

He also knew he was putting more focus into his thoughts so he wouldn’t concentrate as much on the building pressure behind his eyes and at the base of his skull.

He wished Nicky was sitting in the back with him but he’d ended up driving with Andy in the passenger seat and Nile in the back with Joe. And Nile was sure to not have noticed that anything was off with Joe. She hadn’t had nearly enough chances to know what that looked like. But Nicky would know immediately and he’d probably be massaging at Joe’s neck soothingly. It probably wouldn’t actually help the pain subside but the touch would be a comfort on its own.

Of course Andy knew he was in pain and she was doing a good job keeping conversation up with Nile where it would usually be Joe. And Joe was covering his silence by cleaning any blood off the knives he'd used. They’d done that enough times in the car ride back to the safe houses, impressing the importance of keeping blades clean of blood or risk ruining them, that it wouldn’t seem strange this time.

He thought he still caught a look from Nile at some point but he was trying not to pay attention to anything outside of his direct line of sight and even that was getting blurry.

They finally pulled up to the gate leading to the safe house, it overgrown enough that it was difficult to see there was anything but foliage if you didn’t know to look. Nile got out to open the gate without being asked and Joe appreciated her very much. The gate creaked and the overgrowth made it heavy and his hands were already shaking.

Nicky drove the last bit to the safe house, it being one of their deceptively nicer options. That was mostly because Nicky and Joe had passed through a few years ago on what they’d called “a pilgrimage of safe house restoration” where they had cleaned up at least two-thirds of their more commonly used properties.

Andy had rolled her eyes at first but whenever they hit one they hadn’t fixed up, there was a brief but distinct air of disappointment to their leader.

Nicky parked and Joe got out, grabbing his backpack and then heading for the trunk to grab the extra gear they had brought along as well as what they’d taken. After all, much of what kept them fully armed was what they took from the people they took out. Nicky stepped up next to him and brushed his hand across the back of Joe’s neck as he grabbed one of the bags from Joe’s hand, shouldering it along with the last bag before he turned back toward the house, looking over his shoulder and waiting for Joe to follow.

Nicky had already noticed he was in pain.

“Will you eat first?” Nicky simply asked quietly once Joe fell into step beside him.

“Still don’t have much of an appetite,” he admitted after considering the question. He knew it would help but he just couldn’t think about eating without recalling smelling burning flesh.

“We have plenty of fruit,” Nicky tried to encourage and Joe appreciated it. “Just in case you are about to enter another vegetarian stage.”

Joe smiled at that. There had been plenty of times in his long life that he’d seen something that stuck with him enough that he’d stopped eating meat for a while, unable to separate the smell or feel from whatever it had been that he’d seen. Nicky usually followed along with the shift in diet, content either way even as Booker usually wouldn’t appreciate it. Andy didn’t really care as long as the food they made was still good, which was hardly ever a concern when it came to Joe and Nicky’s cooking.

Nicky held the door open and Joe passed him, heading to the right where they had an old cabinet full of weapons and ammo and he began sorting through what he’d brought in, Nicky doing the same at his side.

As Nile was sitting at the couch cleaning all the guns they’d used on the mission except Nicky’s sniper rifle Joe replied in Arabic. “I think I’ll just drink some water and get some sleep. I’ll try to eat something when I wake up.”

His hands shook with the weight of moving one of the spare sniper rifles and Nicky quickly reached over to take it. He followed Joe’s lead and replied in Arabic, “We have a good supply of teas here. I’ll make you some. That should help more than simply water. Will you be resting in our bedroom?”

That would be ideal as he could put himself into darkness and not move or have to block out any sounds from the rest of them just going about their day. But this also made him feel extremely vulnerable and he didn’t like being alone when he felt like this. Nicky would understand.

“No, I’ll stay out here. The loveseat will be fine since it looks like Nile set herself up already on the couch.”

“I’m sure she would make room for you if you just asked, _hayati_.”

Joe smiled as he finished up and tossed the bag that had carried everything to the side. “I’m sure she would.”

Determining by the state of his pain that a shower would just make things worse right now between the sound and impact of the water hitting him and that this house didn't have a bath, he headed toward the loveseat, which was next to the couch at an angle. He wasn’t worried about being able to get comfortable, again his reputation for loving naps was well earned and it wasn’t too much to ask him to fall asleep pretty much anywhere.

But as soon as Nile looked up and saw him walking over, she was moving and Joe hesitated. “Here,” she invited as she slid off the cushion to sit on the floor in front of the couch, crossing her legs under the edge of the table as she continued her cleaning.

“That isn’t necessary, Nile,” he couldn’t help but say even as he was deeply touched at her display of care.

“I know but you look like you could use a break and it would be just cruel to make you stuff yourself into the loveseat,” she said easily. Had she already noticed that he tended to sleep more comfortably when he wasn't pressed in on himself? He didn't spread out since he slept almost exclusively on his sides but he didn't curl up much.

He wanted to find a reason to dismiss the offer simply to continue to keep his weakness from being known. He wanted to spare her knowing of another way she would likely suffer in the future as well because they eventually all did.

Nicky interrupted his thoughts as he stepped up behind Joe and handed him a warm washcloth and Joe saw that he also held one of Joe’s clean shirts in his other hand and he knew he was being taken care of whether he wished to be or not.

He let out a soft laugh as he stepped up beside where Nile sat and dropped down onto the cushion, pulling off his ruined shirt. If it had just been the blood it wouldn’t have mattered but the bullet holes made for a lost cause and he handed it off to Nicky, taking the washcloth and running it quickly over where his blood had dried on his skin.

He was just pulling on the clean shirt when Andy came back into the room from the kitchen carrying a glass. She walked straight for him and held it out to him.

Yeah, he was being taken care of and he couldn’t turn that down, not when he wasn’t always around more than Nicky to do so. He deeply appreciated the kindness of those he loved and no amount of pain would get in the way of that.

He finished off the drink, orange juice because Andy knew he hadn’t been eating and it at least gave him something more than just water. It also meant Nicky would accept him just drinking that and wouldn’t bother with making Joe tea right now. Then he moved to stretch out when Nicky sat down on the couch on the other end and Joe happily took that offer, sliding over so that he was laying with his head resting on Nicky’s lap, turning to face toward Nicky’s stomach and away from the brightness of the room. And once he was settled, Nicky placed his arm over Joe’s head, partially resting over his ear to help block some of the sound of the room. His other hand was already absently twisting at Joe’s curls, doing so in a well-practiced motion that didn’t pull against Joe’s skull.

He didn’t end up falling asleep, not able to move past the pain of the migraine enough to fully relax, but he got close enough to help and he was aware of the whispered conversation that picked up once he was relaxed.

“So, he alright?” Nile asked.

“He’ll be fine,” Nicky replied.

Andy spoke from where she’d ended up sitting in the chair next to the couch because of course she would put herself in a defensive position when one of them weren’t at their best. “It’s nothing unusual. You’ll eventually feel it for yourself. Too much healing or coming back in a short amount of time takes a toll. Add to it that he hasn’t been eating and he just pushed himself too hard.”

“It affects us all a little differently,” Nicky added. “Joe told me long ago that he was prone to headaches before his first death and it seems that remains now.”

“Yeah, I thought I kept seeing him wince in the car,” Nile noted absently enough. “What about you?”

“I become restless and experience some discomfort in my joints, especially my wrists. Even though we didn’t know of such a thing back then, I believe I’d been developing arthritis but it would have healed when I became immortal.”

“Interesting,” Nile replied, sounding genuinely thoughtful. There was a short pause and then she spoke again. “Well?”

Andy let out a scoff and shifted in her seat before eventually speaking. “Cramps.”

Nile let out an understanding and sympathetic hum and Joe was barely awake enough to be amused as he knew Nile had misunderstood and Andy had let her. He figured they would be talking about this again soon after his pain passed and he’d recall this so he could call Andy on it.

Because there was nothing quite like interfering with Andy messing with someone, especially when it was a time Nicky had decided to get in on it too. And it had been a very long time since the one Andy messed with had been one of them.

As it was, he was still likely hours from the migraine at least subsiding enough that he could either fall asleep or function enough to try and get something else in his stomach without it coming back up.

And Nicky knew he hadn’t been able to fall asleep but remained all the same and Joe loved him all the more for it. He started taking Nile through some basic phrases in a more current dialect of Italian than his native language he still spoke with Joe and the echo of his quiet voice around Joe did help to soothe him even if the pain would flare at random sounds. And at some point, Andy brought him another cup of orange juice and that finally calmed down the flaring so that he could relax.

He would do something for each of them over the next few days to show his appreciation.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you liked it.
> 
> If you've got any prompts that you want to send my way, I'm open to trying to fill them. I love this fandom and these characters so much.


End file.
